BigRedKitty: Silithid
by Daniel Howell 
Sep 2nd 2008 at 1:00PM
Daniel Howell contributes BigRedKitty, a column with strategies, tips and tricks for and about the Hunter class, sprinkled with a healthy dose of completely improper, sometimes libelous, personal commentary.
It's Starship Troopers time in Wrath of the Lich King beta, and that means another exoskeleton pet for the 51-point Beastmaster hunters: Silithids!
Yes, Silithids are Exotic pets and Marksman and Survivalists need not apply. Silithids are classified as Cunning pets, so you get a really nice selection of spells you're not going to have seen elsewhere. They're not PvE or PvP-specific, but can be build to focus more on one of these aspects than the other.
Honestly, any pet that looks more like Scourge than a Beast isn't going to find a place in our stable. But if you thought Ravagers just weren't freaky enough, then you're in for a treat.
You are invited to download the YouTube version (44MB) of this movie here, and the full-sized version (169MB) here.
As always, a great big Thank You to the WoW Insider editors for allowing us to publish this movie both here and on our little blog at the same time!
From his video guides to Karazhan For Hunter Dummies, nobody covers raid Hunters like BRK. Looking for more Hunter goodness? Check out our non-raid Hunter column, Scattered Shots or the WoW Insider Directory of Hunter Guides.Filed under: Hunter, (Hunter) Big Red Kitty
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Saelorn Sep 2nd 2008 1:07PM
You think a Silithid is freakier than a Ravager? To each his own, I suppose. Personally, I just can't buy the anatomy of the ravager; I can only suspend my disbelief so far, and that includes demons and gnomish engineering and giant spaceships powered by crystals, but not whatever is suppose to keep the Ravager together as a functional organism.
Thiosion Sep 3rd 2008 7:08PM
What besides completely borked skeletal structure? I mean, sure, it has it's head sticking out of it's back, but...
Oh, wait. Yeah, I can see blood flow and nerves being a problem here.
ThorinII Sep 2nd 2008 1:32PM
Thank you BRK, you are the "cats pajamas!"
Shuuya Sep 2nd 2008 1:45PM
do you want to know more?
mneill Sep 2nd 2008 2:46PM
lol i was thinking the same thing.
Whiplashmtb Sep 2nd 2008 1:52PM
Great Job BRK! Excellent demo as usual.
Question:
With all the pet changes, have they eliminated pets with "Caster stats"?
Thanks!
Whip
Baluki Sep 2nd 2008 1:55PM
These are great videos, but why are they appearing on WoW Insider so long after they appear on BRK's blog site? This one was posted on August 18th.
LibbyKino Sep 2nd 2008 2:13PM
I just don't buy the Silithid as a hunter pet, even an exotic one... they're a sentient race FFS, and the oldest one on Azeroth at that. Next thing you know, shapeshifted druids will be the next exotic pet.
ILikePvPbuthatePvPers Sep 2nd 2008 2:24PM
Plenty of pets and mounts in WoW are sentient.
Gryphons? Sentient. Hippogryphs? Sentient. Wyverns? Sentient. Bats? They can at least understand Low Common. Raptors? They pretty much live in tribes and adorn themselves with jewelries.
ILikePvPbuthatePvPers Sep 2nd 2008 2:25PM
Oh and not to mention the Netherdrakes and the Mammoths in Wrath.
LibbyKino Sep 2nd 2008 2:36PM
None of the animals you just listed are any more sentient than, say, a dog, aside from the Netherdrakes, who give themselves freely as mounts and are not pets.
The Silithid aren't even beasts, they're classified as "unknown" due to lore, but realistically are more closely identified with humanoids than beasts. That a hunter can tame them is literally like a hunter taming someone of another race (like a Tauren lol).
ILikePvPbuthatePvPers Sep 2nd 2008 2:45PM
Do you even know your lore? Those things I mentioned are sentient. Play Warcraft III, those things I mentioned are sentient. They don't speak but they're sentient.
And the fact you can ride a sentient Netherdrake as a mount, I see no problem with using a Silithid as an attack partner. Oh and Mammoths in Wrath are very much sentient, they can communicate telepathically.
Oh and no more sentient than dogs? I don't see dogs building little huts and jewelries for themselves like raptors.
Zanzi Sep 2nd 2008 3:10PM
http://www.wowwiki.com/Hippogriff
Actually Hippogriffs are according to Lore, sentient. (Don't you hate that Lore guy... thinks he knows everything!) I can't speak on the rest, though I have noticed the jewerly on Raptors and have wondered about it.
As far as the Druid pet/mount, that would be cool, but if we're talking about sentient pets, I'm still holding out for a Hunter pet Murloc or a Murloc mount. "Mwwgwgwgwlwaa!" :-D
Perderedeus Sep 2nd 2008 2:31PM
BRK! Thanks for another video :)
Use your powers of Beta influence and see if you can get Blizz to do something about the Cat family ability, Prowl. If they add Camo in, it will stealth the hunter and the pet, so Prowl is going to be really-really lackluster. Cat-users need something on-demand like Savage Rend, not situational like Prowl.
Sporkstabber Sep 2nd 2008 3:16PM
Does anyone else think that BRK sounds like Ray Romano?
Oh, and keep up the good work Mr.Romano!
SpaceDog Sep 2nd 2008 7:14PM
I agree, I kept meaning to post that too. :D
I always imagine Ray making these videos. Who'd have thunk it?
Foxfyr Sep 2nd 2008 3:34PM
BRK,
I was wondering why you don't have dynamic shadows enabled. Does it take a big hit to systems that are a few years old or have you just not gotten around to it yet?
Rkingsley Sep 2nd 2008 3:50PM
Wow. Very nice! I cant wait to try one out myself.
p.s. Stop with the Lore junk guys. :-)
Radiophonic Sep 2nd 2008 4:01PM
lol Daniel sounds tired.
Great work once more, thanks for taking the time to create these movies, they're one of a kind :)
Mel Sep 3rd 2008 8:59AM
I I want a murloc pet - the psychological advantage in arenas and battlegrounds would be enormous!